Motor-driven ladle-turning mechanism



J. S. TOWNSEND MOTOR DRIVEN LADLE TURNING MECHANISM Filed June 13 '1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a I an ;H m

mluumlu 1| Oct. 30, 1923. 1,472,286

,1. s. TOWNSEND MOTOR DRIVEN LADLE TURNING MECHANISM Filed June 13 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -Patentedl @cfa 3d, $11923.

JOHNIS. TDWNSEND, @F HARVEY, KLLINOIS, ASSE'GNQR TO WHETING CURPQltATEfiN,

\ 9F HARVEY, ILLHYUES, A CQRPURATKQN Q15 ELLENUIS.

MQTOR-DEIVEN LAIDLE-TURNING YQKECHANISEE.

application filed June 13, 15921. Serial No. 477,051. I

To all whom it army concern:

Be it @own that 1, Joan S. TowNsnNn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Motor-Driven Ladle- Turning Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relatesto mechanism for turning ladles used in foundry furnaces and the like containing more or less large bodies of molten metal, where because of the danger of spilling, it is essential that the ladle be at all times under the accurate control of an operator and that said operator be at a sub-,

stantial distance from the-ladle.

lhe object of the invention is to provide a motor driven mechanism for controlling the ladle; which can under normal conditions be operated by electric switches manipulated by the operator at a distance from the ladle and in which this can be done with perfect control, but in which in the event of defective operation or the failure of electric mechanism, manual power may be substitutled in such a way that operation of the ladle may be continued with ease and safety.

Broadly, the invention consists in a ladle turning mechanism equipped for selective operation by electric motor or hand power, the electric motor mechanism being preferably subject to control by an operator working at a distance. The invention further consists in many features and details of construction hereafter more fully set forth in the s ecification and claims.

Re erring to the drawings in which like numerals denote like parts thruout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ladle equipped with mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken from approximately the points 33, Figure 2.

Figure 4: is an enlarged end view taken from the right hand side of Fl re 2 on approximately line H of that gure.

The preferred form of mechanism shown in the drawings'is up to certain points, the same as that shown, described, and claimed in my prior U. S. Patent 1,357,599 for ladle turning mechanism, issued November 2,

1920 and in Whiting and Townsend United Slates Patent No. 1,323,137, dated Nov. 25, l. 9.

As fully set forth in said two prior patcuts, the invention is especially adapted for the rotation of a ladle 10 on its trunnions in a bale mechanism 1% by which the ladle suspended from a travelin crane or other suitable support conveniently adaptable for moving the ladle about a foundry for the purpose of pouring metal contained within Below this gear 24 and meshing with it is a worm 26 rigidly carried on shaft 28, journaled in suitable bearings 30 and 32 carried by the case. Loosely mounted on shaft 28 adjacent to hearing 32 and enclosed. within case, is the gear 34 with which meshespinion 3 6 on the shaft 38 of an electric motor, diagrammatically repre sented as a0, attached to the end of the main case 16 by bolts or the like 42. (in the end of shaft 28, which is outside the wheel 34 is a spline 44 on which slides a clutch member 46, having clutch teeth 48 interlitting with corresponding clutch teeth on the end of the hub 50 of wheel 34%, VJhenever clutch member i6 is moved to the left, Figure 4:, so

that the twosets of teeth 18 intermesh, wheel 34 is locked on shaft 28 and the motor l0 can, therefore, thru the gearing shown, drive the shaft 28, worm 26, worm wheel 24, worm 20, gear wheel 22, and trunnion 12, to tilt the ladle 10. On the other hand, when member 46 is moved to the right as shown in Figure 4, or upward as shown in Figure 2 so that the respective sets of clutch teeth 48 cease to intermesh, wheel 34 is loose on the shaft and shaft 28 can be rotated by other means to rotate the ladle without interfering with or moving the electric motor, and con versely the motor can be manipulated with out affecting the ladle.

The electric motor 40 is operatable by electric current supplied to it thru electric cable 51, box 52, cable 54 of standard construction res and therefore not shown indetail. The current so delivered passes thru control switch 56 and two control push buttons 58 and 60", adapted on being alternately pushed to control electric current delivered thru cable 61 to the parts 51, 52, 54 in such a manner that the motor can be reversed indirection of roing teeth on the hub 72 of the wheel 64,

lit)

whereby when these sets of clutch teeth are in mesh the operator rotating hand wheel 64, rotates shaft 28 and consequently the ladle, and when the clutch teeth are sepa-' rated, as shown in Figure 4, the wheel 64 is freely rotatable on the shaft without any control over the ladle.

Means areproyidedfor automatically simultaneously shifting the two clutches, 46 and 68, so that, as shown in the drawings both clutches are never in mesh at the same time. The particular embodiment of mechanism for this purpose here shown includes an operating lever76 pivoted at 78 to asuitable support 80 and operatively connected to clutch 68. The operator can, by taking hold of handle 82 rock the handle about the pivot 78, against the resistance of a spring 84, engaging a pin 86, on the lever, to move the clutch member 68 from the disengaged position of Figure 4 tothe left into engaged position and vice versa. On the other end of the shaft 28 operatively engaging the clutch 46 is another lever 88, suitably pivoted. at 90 to a fixed support 100, adapted to be rocked about the pivot 90 to move the clutch member 46 from the engaged position of Figure 4 to the right into disengaged position. These two levers are connected. by a connecting rod 102, which causes them to move in. unison, when the operator moves handle 82 to the left, as viewed in Figure 4, to move clutch 68 to cause clutch teeth "(0 to intermesh, he thereby simultaneously moves clutch member 46 to the right to disengage clutch teeth 48. The operator can, therefore, manipulate handle 82 to selectively attach the wheel 64 in operative relation. on shaft 28 so that he can manually rotate shaft 28 to turn the. ladle while the motor is out of control of the ladle and he can by reversing the position of lever 82 attach the motor to shaft 28 and disengage the hand wheel. This is very important 1. In mechanism of the class described, a.

suspending device for a ladle, the ladle tiltable on the suspending device, gearing mechanism for tilting the ladle with reference to the suspending mechanism, manually op-- eratable mechanism for operating the tilting mechanism, motor driven mechanism for operating the tilting mechanism, and clutch devices selectively operatable to cause the motor or the manual mechanism, but never both at the same time, to operate the tilting mechanism.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a.

tiltabl ladle, a suspending device therefor, gearing transported by the suspending device for tilting the ladle with reference to the suspending device, a shaft adapted to operate the gearing, additional motor driven gearing on one portion of said shaft, a hand manipulatable shaft operating member at another part of said shaft, and an independent clutch mechanism for connecting each of said last mentioned devices in operative working relation with said shaft,and means for simultaneously operating said clutches, to throw one into, the other-out of operating position. I

3. In mechanism of the class described, a tiltable ladle, a suspending device therefor, gearing transported by the suspending device for tilting the ladle with reference to the suspending device, a shaft parallel to the tilting axis of the ladle adapted to operate the gearing, additional motor driven gearing on one portion of said shaft, a hand manipulatable shaft operating member on the end of said shaft most remote from the ladle, an independent clutch mechanism for gearing on one portion of said shaft, a hand manipulateble shaft operating member on the end of said shaft most remote from the ladle, an independent-clutch mechanism for connecting each of said last mentioned devices in operative working relation with Said shaft, means reachable by the operator when standingat said hand manipulatable shaft operating member for simultaneously 10 operating said clutches, to throw one into,

erating mechanism in selected position.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my nam in the presence of two wit- 15 nesses.

" JOHN S. TOWNSEND.

- Witnesses;

PAUL' BIELFELDT, OSCAR L, CoFrEY. 

